


Another Heart Calls

by Resa_Saso



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-24 06:18:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12006843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Resa_Saso/pseuds/Resa_Saso
Summary: A song-fic to 'Another Heart Calls'.





	Another Heart Calls

**Author's Note:**

> The song is 'Another Heart Calls' by The All American Rejects. Always thought it was very  
> Doctor/Master-y, now I finally wrote something I'm happy with.  
> Enjoy :)
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TqnwgzxCR0

_Do you remember when we didn't care?  
We were just two kids that took the moment when it was there.  
Do you remember you at all?  
Another heart calls.  
_  
  
When he woke up again, all he remembered was pain. It wasn’t even the new pain, the one his body produced whenever he tried to move a newly regenerated muscle, it was something else, deep inside of him, rooting and consuming him.  
He blinked, once, twice, then opened his eyes completely.  
The lights were too bright, the air smelled too clean.  
The next thing he remembered was what the pain came from.  
The all-consuming, dark pain, sliding its way up to settle right between his hearts.  
He closed his eyes again.  
Someone entered. He could hear the door’s little ‘swish’, he could hear steps on the white, clean tiles.  
He kept his eyes closed while whispering one tiny, little question:  
‘Ailla?’  
‘I’m afraid not.’  
He kept his eyes closed while whispering another, a bigger question:  
‘Where is she?’  
‘She’s safe and home,’ came the sharp response. ‘She served her purpose. You’re here. Even though you committed genocide on the way.’  
Koschei remembered. Koschei remembered their screams, remembered the burning, remembered how afraid he had been. Rassilon, all he wanted was to bring her back. He hadn’t want to… Not this, never this.  
‘What is that supposed to mean, she served her purpose?’ he grunted.  
He didn’t understand. He thought he had failed, had not even lost a whole planet to the flames, but also her, her, the only woman remotely able to… He shook his head. The light bored into his eyes, even with his eyelids closed and tears were building. He hid them, kept them firmly shut.  
A sigh was his answer. It didn’t sound resigned like the Time Lords kept on sighing to him, but… pitying? Oh great, didn’t he just love pity?  
‘She was a CIA agent, Koschei. They were on to you. She was…’  
‘No.’  
‘I’m sorry.’  
‘Shut up. It’s not true. She cared… we… She cared about me.’  
‘Listen,’ the voice answered, oh, wouldn’t he just give up, he didn’t know her like he did, he didn’t know her at all. ‘I know it’s hard to face, but…’  
‘Get out.’  
‘What?’  
‘You heard me,’ Koschei gave back sternly. ‘Get out. I don’t want you here.’  
‘But…,’ the voice hesitated in a tone sounding equally surprised and desperate. ‘I came here to talk, you need to understand…’  
He opened his eyes now, he had enough of it. He sat up, ignoring his new body’s stiffness, and threw cold gazes to the man in front of his sick bed. It was embarrassingly satisfying to see him flinch back at whatever he’d seen in his eyes.  
‘I don’t want to talk to you,’ he sneered coldly. ‘I don’t want to see you. I told you ages ago, I don’t ever want to see you again, Theta.’  
The man’s eyes widened.  
‘Oh no, it’s Doctor now, isn’t it?’ Koschei continued. ‘Pretentious. Where were you, when I needed you? Where we’re you, when all my loneliness crept up on me, when it got darker and darker, so dark even I couldn’t escape? You’re having the audacity to tell me she didn’t care, didn’t care about me, while not caring yourself, while being the one that ran away, left me in the dark, left me to die and bleed out?’  
Theta didn’t answer, he just stared, the usually so aristocratic face blanked in shock.  
Koschei snorted.  
‘Nothing to say for yourself, have you?’  
‘Look at what’s become of you,’ Theta finally brought out. ‘Look at what you’ve done. You think I could’ve stayed with someone like you? You’ve destroyed a whole planet. A whole race. Gone. Because of you.’  
‘I was trying to bring her back!’ he screamed, his hearts sped up, beat so fast it hurt, oh Rassilon, it hurt. ‘She was all I had!’  
He didn’t answer, he just stood there, shaking his head in disbelief.  
‘We were kids, you and me,’ he finally stated. ‘Running around, playing games. But this isn’t a game, Koschei. This isn’t you. Do you even remember who you were?’  
Koschei shook his head.  
‘No, I don’t. Do you?’  
The man in front of him disappeared and Koschei drew in a deep breath. Regeneration sickness, he had read about it, but it was nothing like he imagined. Seeing Theta of all people – Well, it was strangely fitting.  
‘You don’t, do you?’ he whispered into the empty room. ‘I’m laying here, a stranger in my skin for the first time, left alone and you don’t even remember you used to be my friend.’  
Tears. Again. He was so sick of them. He was sick of Time Lords telling him, Ailla betrayed him, used him, tried to give him over to the CIA. He was sick of being stuck in the sick bay, he was sick of hearing of all the penalties they threatened him with.  
He hadn’t even looked in a mirror yet, and why should he? He knew he was going to lose this body anyway.  
He wondered if he had any last requests open.  
‘Who were you shouting at?’  
Koschei looked up. It had been Theta’s voice again and indeed, there he stood, leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed.  
He told the picture to go away, like he did before, but the man in front of him didn’t vanish.  
Fear filled him.  
‘Theta?’  
The man frowned, but didn’t correct him.  
‘They’ll force some regenerations from you,’ he stated.  
‘I know.’  
It didn’t feel like before. It scared him. It scared him deeply. His friend was here, he was here for him, in the flesh, not only in his mind. He could… maybe he hadn’t lost it all, not yet.  
Theta is here, he told himself. He’d be okay, he wouldn’t be alone, his friend was here, oh Rassilon, he wasn’t alone!  
‘I’ve just come to tell you, I’ll take care of her.’  
What?  
‘Whom?’  
Ailla?  
‘Your daughter.’  
Where had been fear, it was replaced with rage, the first, blooming beginnings of it, the creeping realization of what the man in front of him was implying.  
‘I’ll take care of her myself.’  
‘I don’t think so,’ Theta stated with sadness in his tone. ‘You’ll get exiled. A renegade, isn’t that ironic?’  
‘She’s my daughter,’ Koschei tried to jump up, but stumbled, fell to the floor on all four, still glaring up to Theta, who hadn’t moved.  
‘They can’t take my daughter from me!’  
‘No, but I can and I will,’ Theta said with one last, long look on him, then turned around. ‘It’s for her best. Maybe one day you’ll understand.’  
Again, Koschei fought himself to his feet, trembling in rage and weakness, trying to attack him, but there was a force field right where the Doctor had stood, threw him back.  
‘Theta!’ he shouted. ‘Theta, please!’  
No answer, just echoes of fading steps on the floor.  
‘Theta! Come back! Please come back! Let’s talk, alright? Like we did all these years ago?’  
He couldn’t do that. This wasn’t true, just another hallucination. He couldn’t take Susan from him, he couldn’t leave him again, he wouldn’t, surely he wouldn’t…  
‘Theta please,’ he begged, his voice fading slowly. ‘I need you…’  
Oh Rassilon, he did need him. He couldn’t be alone, not now, not after Ailla…  
No, she hadn’t. She wouldn’t. But his daughter, Theta, how could he ever get through this without them?  
And when the last step resounded and a door fell shut, he slumped together where he stood, on the floor, next to the door frame he simply couldn’t cross, powerless.  
‘ _Doctor!’  
_ He knew, the whole hospital must’ve heard him scream.  
But no one came.  
No one answered.  
There was nothing, but his heartbeat, drumming inside his head, four beats, steady, loud, drowning out the deafening silence.

 _Yeah, I remember when we stole the night..  
We'd lie awake but dreaming 'til the sun would wash the sky.  
  
  
_ ‘I’ll be president one day, you know?’  
Theta chuckled. ‘Sure you will.’  
‘Are you doubting me?’  
Both of them laughed, but only half-heartedly.  
The truth was, the night was too beautiful to waste on jokes. The truth was, Theta didn’t doubt him. He knew his friend, knew his ambitions, the plans he was making, when he thought no one looked, the people he was recruiting, rebels. Oh, this was happening and a part of him was so proud, incredibly proud of his young, clever friend.  
Another, stronger part of him was scared. Scared of the darkness he sometimes saw creeping up on Koschei. Scared of the day he’d have to leave him.  
Because he would, eventually, wouldn’t he? Oh, they had both been tired of Gallifrey’s ways, but while Koschei wanted to stay and change them, wanted to rule, wanted to be someone, all Theta could think of was escaping.  
They had once dreamt of traveling the universe together, of watching every single star, of finding planets with only one sun, of visiting the moon, of so much little boys dreamt of when they felt stuck.  
Tonight they dreamt of something else, both of them, in silent, unspoken agreement, dreamt of one more day they could spend together, ignoring their upcoming separation, dreamt of still having the same dreams.  
Every day the cold reality snuck back onto Theta, left him scared and speechless, left him feeling alone, but at night he still lay next to his friend, staring at the stars, imagining the two of them naming them together, hopping from one to the other, making them their own playground and it was alright. It didn’t burn as much. It was peaceful.  
He prayed to them tonight, prayed Koschei wouldn’t steal these precious nights from him as well.  
‘I don’t,’ he said. ‘I don’t doubt you. I think you will do it.’  
He snuggled up into the arms of his friends. It felt strange. Like the end of something, like a goodbye. He didn’t want it.  
He snuggled up deeper.  
‘We used to be happy,’ Theta pointed out.  
‘We used to be,’ Koschei agreed.  
And so they laid there, in the red grass, until the darkness slowly faded. The two suns of Gallifrey painted the sky bright red and shone down on them, warm and antagonizing.  
Theta couldn’t help but notice, how they resembled them.  
So close and yet separated.

_Just as soon as I see you…  
But didn't I, but didn't I tell you…  
As deep as I need you,  
You wanna leave it all?_

‘So, is this how it’s going to be?’  
The Master snorted, an eyebrow neatly raised.  
‘How did you expect it to be, Doctor? Tea and cake? Playing with dolls?’  
‘I don’t know, me a bit younger, for starters.’  
The Master couldn’t repress an amused smirk, while shaking his head.  
‘You know, you’re very ungrateful. Don’t you like the tent I got you?’  
‘It’s no good for my back, I’m afraid. It got a bit cranky over the… few seconds it took you to age me.’  
The Master snorted. ‘Glad you’re having your fun.’  
‘Fun?’ the Doctor huffed. ‘You think this is fun, a cute little game? People have died. I can’t even… I can’t even remember when you stopped caring about this. Lives, ending, just like that.’  
‘Yes, Doctor,’ the Master replied calmly. ‘Just like that, in the blink of an eye, because I wish them to. And isn’t that magnificent?’  
‘It’s terrible,’ the Doctor retorted firmly. ‘Worse even, because you know it is. Is this what you’re doing, trying to get to me? Is that all that matters to you these days?’  
The Master sunk down on the floor, right in front of him, crouched together so they could talk on eye level. He smirked.  
‘Getting to you is part of the fun,’ he admitted. ‘But ruling the universe, ruling these tiny little humans… It’s beautiful, Doctor, can’t you see it?’  
The Time Lord shook his wrinkled face. ‘No, I really can’t. It’s something only you can see, I’m afraid. As with your drums.’  
The Master’s face collapsed.  
‘The drums,’ he finally said. ‘Do you still think you can stop them?’  
The Doctor’s eyes widened in hope. It was quite cute, really.  
‘Yes,’ the other Time Lord stated firmly. ‘Do you want me to?’  
The Master chuckled. ‘No. I don’t need you.’  
I needed you then, he thought. I needed you when they started to tear apart my whole life, my dreams. I needed you when they came to be my only friends, the only ones that would still listen. I don’t need you now, not ever again.  
‘Not ever again, Doctor.’  
The Time Lord just stared into his eyes, seemed to look right through him, into his very core.  
Rassilon, he hated this look.  
‘Listen to me,’ he asked eagerly. ‘This is serious. It’s all changed, it doesn’t have to be like this, we don’t have to. They’re gone, we’re the last ones. There’s only us.’  
The Master sighed. ‘So you said. So?’  
‘So?’ the Doctor repeated in disbelief. ‘How could we possibly… All we’ve got is each other!’  
‘Except we don’t,’ the Master pointed out in a tone that nearly sounded bored. ‘But I’ve got a world to rule. You… find out what you’ve got left in your tent, yes?’  
The Doctor still stared incredulously, when he got back up onto his feet. The Master smiled back down at him.  
‘The last two Time Lords in existence,’ he said. ‘And I honestly couldn’t care less. You’re not my friend, Doctor. You’re not even… anything, not anymore.’  
And he turned his back to him, the drums in his ear pounding painfully, turned his back on the Doctor like he had turned his back on him, all these ages ago.  
The Doctor had stopped speaking after this.  
Well, not entirely. He had settled for his one-thing-to-say and the Master, knowing he was granted a forgiveness he never asked for, decided not to listen. It was easy, really, when he knew he was the one that had to forgive.

 _What can I do?  
Say it's true…  
Or everything that matters breaks in two.  
Say it's true…  
I'll never ask for anyone but you.  
  
  
_ ‘Won’t you ever stop?’ the Doctor demanded to know. He demanded quite a lot in this body, the Master noticed. It was intriguing, to say the least, but frustrating, when it was directed towards him.  
That man needed to understand he wouldn’t take orders, not from him, not from anyone, oh no, not anymore.  
‘Oh, I think I will,’ the Master reassured him with a kind smile. ‘As soon as the universe is mine, Doctor. And you will be alongside me, ruling it.’  
The Doctor snorted – really unattractive – and shook his head so wild, the blonde locks flew around it in playful whirls. The Master couldn’t help but stare.  
‘It’s not going to happen, my dear chap,’ the man said with a sad smile that destroyed all the magic he had just captivated the Master’s attention with.  
With a little sigh he returned to his work, fiddling on the Keller machine to begin the process.  
‘This thing is dangerous, you know? Not only for the people here, but for you. It feeds on evil.’  
Evil, the Master thought. This was what it had come to, wasn’t it? He was the evil one, for destroying a planet he didn’t want to destroy, for trying to save a love which was nothing but a lie, for begging for a friendship that might’ve saved him, that could’ve prevented him from all the terror he had to endure.  
The Master stroke his beard.  
Evil, funny, really, there had been a time he had called the Doctor that. Nowadays, he hardly could deny the truth in the word, though. Yes, he had tried his best to call the universe his own, had taken deaths for granted – Collateral damage, really, for all he truly cared about was the Doctor. The Doctor and his stubborn refusal to support his plans – Oh, but hadn’t it been their plans, so long ago, he barely could remember? It felt like another life and every time he tried to think back, think back to their nights together, all he found were noises in his head, exasperating and agonizing, blocking his view, calling him back, calling for bigger things.  
Evil, he thought. Evil indeed, while all he ever truly asked for had been the Doctor. The Doctor and him, on their rightful place in this universe, together. Together like they used to be. Oh, he hadn’t forgiven him, not yet, but he would, he could, as soon as he had the stubborn prick payed, had his revenge for all the years he had to fulfil their dream on his own.  
‘I wonder, Doctor, what are you afraid of most?’  
The Time Lord shook his head again and the Master watched, fascinated. He had thought he liked the way his new hair flew around in the air, but maybe he was just enjoying how his head was the only part of the Doctor’s body left, that wasn’t under his control. Stuck on the chair the Master had chained him to, he truly looked magnificently powerless.  
Oh, he resented the feeling, he did, but he cherished causing it to his old friend.  
‘You don’t have to do this, you know?’  
‘Oh, you can tell me,’ the Master smirked. ‘I’ll find out soon anyway, you see?’  
‘And you?’ the Doctor barked. ‘What are you most afraid of? What would it show you, wouldn’t you stroll out the room like the dog you are?’  
The Master laughed. ‘You know what I think it is, Doctor? The thing you’re truly scared of, so scared you don’t even dare to think about it?’  
The Doctor’s face clearly told a story about how the Time Lord couldn’t care less about what the Master thought.  
The Master ignored it.  
‘The truth, I think, Doctor. Aren’t you scared of it? I can nearly see the sweat on your forehead.’  
‘The truth?’ the Doctor snorted. ‘And what would that be?’  
‘The truth is, that you made me this way,’ he replied calmly. The Doctor’s eyes widened in surprise and he could tell, he hadn’t expected this. ‘The truth is, all your narrow-minded cute little beliefs, they’re shaken, wrong in their very core. Me, the evil one? When all I ever asked for was you by my side? What does that make you, the refusing, the leaving, Doctor? The hero? Hardly.’  
The Doctor stared at him with attentive, wide-eyed gazes.  
‘You’re absolutely insane,’ he finally stated. ‘I saw it coming, but I have to admit, I wasn’t aware of how far it had gone.’  
The Master smiled his saddest smile. ‘See?’ he asked. ‘It _is_ the truth you’re scared about. So, to answer your question, Doctor – I’m not afraid of anything. And why would I, with you under my control to finally face it?’  
  
Control was a slippery little thing and he had to admit, he wasn’t prepared for losing it. Granted, when it came to the Doctor, there was always a certain risk, but the one thing he surely hadn’t expected was being stuck into the room with his machine himself.  
Turned out there were a few things he was scared of after all. And it sickened him to the core, that again, oh again, he had no choice but to realize even his fears were all about the Doctor.  
The Time Lords laughter still ringed in his ears, after he escaped the machine and gave the order to find him again.

 

_Talk to me,  
I'm throwing myself in front of you.  
This could be the last mistake…  
That I would ever wanna do.  
Yeah, all I ever do is give, it's time you see my point of view.  
  
_

‘The last time I saw you, you were on your way to Gallifrey.’  
The Master frowned.  
‘I didn’t stay. Why would I stay?’  
With a shrug the Doctor brushed the question off.  
He didn’t like this Doctor much. He was intimidating in his own way. Weak in all the right spots, but strong in his weakness, embracing it rather than trying to hide it away like all of his previous incarnations. Maybe he really was getting older. Maybe it was time for him to do the same.  
‘I wouldn’t have expected you to. Stole yourself a TARDIS, did you?’  
The Master smirked. ‘Obviously. It’s stuck, though. Dematerialization circle burned out. … And isn’t that hilarious?’  
Actually, it really had a bit of an irony, remembering some of their older battles and truly, the both of them smiled for a second, genuine, until the Doctor’s face got serious again.  
Maybe he didn’t dislike this incarnation completely.  
‘I never really thanked you.’  
‘Oh, stuff it!’ the Master demanded bitterly. ‘I wanted my revenge on Rassilon, that’s it.’  
The Doctor smirked knowingly.  
He decided he hated this incarnation after all.  
‘Did you get it?’  
To be quite honest, the Master had to think about this for a minute. He had caused the great Rassilon to regenerate two times, before the Time Lords healed his tormented body (which sadly took away his ability to produce electricity with his hands – he had been quite fond on this one). He had also seen him in absolute fury when he stole two regeneration circles and threw one of them through the rift to the dying Doctor. He also had gotten a blue eye, several bruises, and a loss of three regenerations taken from his own circle.  
He wouldn’t tell the Time Lord that, of course. Not any of it, to be precise.  
‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘I did. Too bad you weren’t there to see it, isn’t it? Were too busy not being stuck in a Time Lock, I suppose.’  
He left the Doctor with a look of absolute incredulity on his face. Suited him right.  
He had waved Missy to leave with him, but she took her time. Stood right next to the Doctor, staring at her nails in an acted lack of interest, until he turned to her, his eyes wide with shock and – oh, that clearly was guilt in there, wasn’t it? As if it had been his fault, really, her younger self had literally thrown himself into the Time Lock, what was he supposed to do?  
She decided to tell him.  
‘I threw myself in front of you, you know?’  
The Doctor snorted. ‘Doesn’t seem to make any sense to thank you again, as you didn’t even accept it the first time.’  
She shrugged. ‘I didn’t mean that time. It’s true, I wanted revenge on Rassilon and it’s true that I got it. But where the hell did you think you got that regeneration circle from? Rassilon, the mighty egoist?’  
It was a cute frown, she decided. She quite liked his frown. It made her look up from her nails for once.  
‘You did that?’  
‘Slow today, are you?’ she mocked his own words.  
The Doctor blinked in confusion. ‘I had no idea.’  
‘Obviously not. Well, whenever I need it, feel free to share. They took a few regenerations from me as a punishment.’  
The Doctor turned around, looking to the aisle the other Master had left through.  
Missy giggled.  
‘He didn’t even tell me.’  
‘ ‘Course not,’ she said with a roll of her eyes. ‘He’s way too proud to let you know he actually _cared_. After all, you never did, did you?’  
He wanted to defend himself, deny it, she could see it on the old, wrinkled face, see it in his young, sparkling eyes, in the already half-opened mouth, but he stopped himself right there, seemed to think about for a second and two, then asked, ‘and you aren’t?’  
She shrugged, grinning.  
‘Let’s just say, I’m starting to believe that maybe you do. Don’t expect that from him though. He really is a bit lost right now.’  
No, her younger self didn’t believe, it was quite clear. Not in the Doctor, clearly not in himself, probably not in anything. She didn’t remember this particular day, but oh, she remembered being him. Burning so hot, being so careless, so afraid to stop one second to think, to feel the pain, to actually realize that all he really wanted was right there in front of him, burning up in his grip.  
He didn’t listen. He didn’t listen when the Doctor asked them to stand with him, couldn’t listen in a tragic attempt to protect himself from hurt.  
But she did.  
The Doctor had once forgiven her without being asked.  
And maybe he hadn’t intended it to be as much as an insult as it had been. Maybe it hadn’t meant to be something he wasn’t entitled to give, but a way to show her what she needed to do for him.  
Maybe it was time to do the same.

  
_As deep as I need you, you wanna leave it all?  
But I know what you want is to figure it out…  
And god knows, I do too.  
What can I do?  
Say it's true…  
I'll never ask for anyone but you._

  
The first thing he noticed when he woke up again was, that he had his beard back.  
Well, that was good. He had enjoyed being a woman, but he only felt half complete without a beard. It was something he had gotten used to.  
The second thing was, that there was a woman crying on his chest.  
It took only a few seconds to notice the third thing – Okay, so this was the Doctor. She was blonde, wore his old clothes and smelled good.  
The Doctor obviously always smelled good – very doctory – but he had to admit, it had been a while. A while since he had felt him – her – so close to him. Had let them.  
He let one hand sink into the soft, blonde hair and hummed happily. The sobbing stopped for a few seconds.  
Oh right, there had been sobbing, he had forgotten part two for a few seconds. Had to be the regeneration sickness.  
The realization came together with his memories. He remembered dying by his own hands in the same second he remembered hallucinating Theta after having regenerated for the first time in his life.  
He remembered lying on the floor, wishing he was there, in both instances.  
He remembered being left alone, so alone, but this was different, this was something else.  
And it stirred under his hand.  
Raised his head, looked at him.  
Hell, she was beautiful. The Doctor had always been beautiful to him, but this was a whole new level, it was basically _unfair_ how good the tear stained, tormented and pale face looked with those eyes, beautiful, brown eyes with so much hope recently glaring inside, it nearly took away his breath.  
‘Kosch?’ she asked, voice hoarse and innocent, making her sound like a child trying to ask for help to fall asleep.  
The urge to protect her would’ve had swept him off his feet, had he been standing.  
‘It worked?’ Suddenly a wide, happy grin spread on her face and – Rassilon, this was even better. She jumped to her feet, dancing happily around him.  
‘It worked! I gave you my regeneration energy and it worked, you regenerated, you’re alive! It worked!’  
‘Are you telling me,’ the Master replied while trying to get up his feet as well. ‘You lay crying on my body while I _regenerated_ and didn’t notice?’  
The accusation in his voice let her stop in her tracks, staring at him for a few seconds, until the spell broke and she jumped inside his arms like an over-excited kitten. Before the Master could even react, he felt her lips on his, soft and salty from all the tears. He stiffed, still holding her in his arms, brows furrowed, didn’t even dare to think of it as _real_.  
‘I’m sorry, Kosch, I’m so sorry,’ she mumbled through the kisses, whispered it into his lips, his skin, the neck, the fingers she drew to her mouth, every single one, again and again, ‘I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, please forgive me, I’m so sorry.’  
He didn’t ask what for, he knew, oh, all of it.  
And finally, when the shock faded, when even his hearts had to settle with the truth, that this was, indeed, _real_ , he smiled.  
‘This’ll never work,’ he muttered, but drew her back to his lips anyway, needed to taste her again, taste her tears, tears for him, tears he hadn’t believed she had.  
When they let go of each other, both breathing heavily, she smiled. ‘It could, you know? If we could finally make our compromises?’  
‘And what would they look like?’ he asked indulgingly.  
She cocked her head.  
‘Well, I would settle, for, you know, loving you as you are – Which I do, by the way.’  
His hearts sped up, he couldn’t stop them, they raced, oh God, how they raced, wanted him to shout ‘yes’ before he even heard the rest of her sentence, but he couldn’t.  
Anything could happen, now. Everything could fall apart in their hands, depending on what the Doctor would say now.  
But the Doctor smiled.  
‘And maybe you could settle for… you know… me. Not ruling the universe with you, because I really, really don’t want the universe, in case you didn’t notice, but… me.’  
The Master offered her his hand, and she took it, hesitantly.  
‘Doctor,’ he said with an affectionate smirk. ‘You _are_ my universe.’

 

 


End file.
